The Queens of Evil

The Queens of Evil introduces feminism to the slasher horror genre. The film tells the story of five women who run a burlesque gentleman’s club in order to draw in men and ultimately kill off the ones that showcase inappropriate misogynistic behaviors toward the women working in the club. Each of the women have a history of abuse, which acts as their motivation for ridding of these men. The film contradicts the traditional way women are objectified in horror films while tackling the film’s primary message, the discussion of abuse and it’s serious influence on those caught in the horrible circumstances.

Jesse Heisel, the writer/director of the feature, has won several awards for his horror films in the past. Jesse’s awards and achievements in filmmaking include Best Feature by the P.A.I.N Foundation for “Mello” (2015), the Indie Auteur of the Year Award from Bare Bones Film and Music Festival (2015), Pinhead Award for Excellence in Horror Achievement at the Bad Film Fest (2015), Audience Choice Award at Halloweenapalooza Film Festival (2015), and Producer of the Year Award by The University of Iowa’s Student Video Productions’ Windy Awards (2012).

About this project

“As a filmmaker, I feel it’s important for your movie to always have some sort of message within the story. For most of my films, I’ve focused on my messages being about human morals. Whether the morals were about the society we live in or the personal demons everyone faces. I’ve always had an interest in having my horror movies have an important message that one could find in between all of the blood and gore. Being as big of a horror fan as I am, I feel it is important to create new and unique story-lines to help keep the genre fresh.

I have set out to create a horror movie that moviegoers will either see as a new take on the genre and/or a story that has never been told before. With the message of this movie being that women have been seen as just visual pleasures on screen for too long, I feel the best genre to introduce this message is the slasher genre; the genre I personally love but am aware enough to recognize all of the exploitation that happens within it.

The Queens of Evil will largely explore the discussion of abuse and will showcase the fact that abuse comes in many forms and should be taken as a serious issue in our society. The women that make up the O Girls all have traumatic histories, which act as their motivation for joining the O Girls slasher team.

With the money we raise, we will ensure it goes mainly to the many practical effects this movie is intended to have and to the very talented Los Angeles, New York and Chicago based actors we already have cast.”

Jesse’s awards and achievements in filmmaking include Best Feature by the P.A.I.N Foundation for “Mello” (2015), the Indie Auteur of the Year Award from Bare Bones Film and Music Festival (2015), Pinhead Award for Excellence in Horror Achievement at the Bad Film Fest (2015), Audience Choice Award at Halloweenapalooza Film Festival (2015), and Producer of the Year Award by The University of Iowa’s Student Video Productions’ Windy Awards (2012)